The Lady Blazers were the underdogs in the series as the Lady Stags entered the Finals with a 9-0 record and a thrice-to-beat advantage, a bonus given to them after their elimination round sweep. They had two-time NCAA MVP Grethcel Soltones, who was determined to win her first NCAA crown after two failed tries.
Yet the Lady Blazers, using every inch of their height advantage and following their game plan to the letter, bucked the odds as they took the first two games of the series, recovered quickly from a four-set loss in the third game, and completed their mission with a four-set win in the do-or-die game.
"Finally, finally," Cariño told reporters after the game.
It was CSB's first indoor volleyball championship since entering the NCAA in 1998, having lost in the Finals in 2008 and 2009 – to San Sebastian.
Cariño said his team had to go through the so-called "eye of the needle" just to get to the Finals. As the fourth-seeded team in the semis, they had to beat University of Perpetual Help and defending champion Arellano University to set up a clash against San Sebastian.
"Sabi ko sa mga players ko kanina, maraming pwedeng mangyari sa araw na ito. Either uuwi tayo na luhaan, or gagawa tayo ng pinakamagandang history sa larangan ng volleyball sa NCAA at sa CSB," he said.
"Nagawa ng mga players ko. Sobrang tiyaga nila, sobrang lahat binigay ng mga players ko. Sobrang happy ako sa kanila."
It was not an easy win as San Sebastian battled hard even with Soltones having an off game. The Lady Blazers hacked out a 25-22, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22 win, but not before going through some nervous moments in the fourth set when the Lady Stags took a 20-18 lead.
"Sobrang tiwala ako, kasi first two sets pa lang, alam na namin na kaya namin ang kalaban," Cariño said. "Medyo nag-relax lang kami ng third set."
"After nag-timeout ni Coach Roger (Gorayeb late in the fourth set), nasabihan ko sila. Maganda ang pagkaka-deliver ko ng advice ko, na kailangan ma-control natin ang game para manalo tayo, at nagawa naman ng mga players ko," he added.
With San Sebastian threatening at 22-23, the Lady Blazers remained composed. San Sebastian's Jonah Corpuz committed a crucial service error, and off a scramble in the next play, it was CSB's Ranya Musa who had the presence of mind to take care of an over-received ball that dropped right between two San Sebastian players.
Cariño has made no secret of the fact that his team was inspired by the achievement of the Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles in the 2014 UAAP season, which saw them overcome De La Salle University in the Finals for their first title. Like San Sebastian, La Salle had a thrice-to-beat advantage after sweeping the eliminations.
Now, they have emulated Ateneo's feat and Cariño could not be happier.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
